Faulty Towers Dining Experience

B’est Restaurant

 7 – 27 August

Times Vary/ See dates for times

£46.50

Oh my, what a brilliant night, and a great meal!  Exactly what I expected from the show, as hoped for by many other a ‘Fawlty Towers’ aficionados no doubt.

Now I am not a fan of slapstick, not at all, but well I grew up watching this show and I was really looking forward to seeing it come to life.  For that is exactly the feeling – like you’re literally in an episode of ‘Fawlty Towers’ with Basil, Sybil & Manuel’s unique customer service entertainment, leaving you beaming from ear to ear throughout.

From the outset the characters warm-up nicely, Sybil was the slowest for me to take to, but she is of course the trickiest to mimic and Donna Gray definitely got her down.  The age-old classic ridicule between Basil and Manuel  is well depicted with superb comedy timing, and Basil’s  intonation and mannerisms are perfectly personified by Rob Langston.

Billed as an interactive show, the audience is really there just to take the blame, to take the heat and deflect the characters’ faux-pas .  The three-course meal, of French-style pottage to start, oriental chicken with swede mash and an easy ice-cream to finish, was tasty.  The restaurant was full with around 80 covers, all delighted diners from what I could see.  At times you even wanted to treat it as a regular meal out so authentic was the set-up, but you were soon reminded of your Faulty Towers Dining Experience as Manuel [Terence Frisch] launched bread rolls across the table to each of us, ‘si, is ok?’.

Brilliantly conceptualised by Interactive Theatre International [ http://www.interactivetheatre.com.au/ ], this touring show is a lifetime must-see!  I have wanted to see it myself since I heard of its existence four or five years ago during maybe my first fringe in 2008, and it didn’t disappoint.  Oh no, it didn’t disappoint, you want it to work and it does!  The ad libs in between ‘scenes’ were fitting, and we were fortunate to have a ‘faulty’ moment at our table – our dining companion was treated to a little something extra from the Chef, ‘Teething problems in the kitchen’ Basil explained.

Polly was missing, but easily a five star show with five star performances by all.  Go see this show. Go this year, go next year, go in Australia, go in the South-Pacific, just go! FIVE STARS

Reviewer – Elinor Dickie